ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · calf · row · file · game · branch · wound · land

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bank — for money
  3. file — a line of people
  4. game — a match
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — a division
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bank — of a river
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a tool
  20. land — ground
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com